FLAPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (ÐAP CÁNH GIUA KHÔNG TRUNG) New Auteurs

Huyen is pregnant and needs money for an abortion. When her boyfriend skips out on her, taking with him the cash he’d saved for her operation, Huyen must take matters into her own hands. She dabbles in prostitution with a strange first client, wealthy businessman Hoang, who has a tender yet obsessive fascination with Huyen’s pregnancy. The two go on a series of dates, all dreamy yet laced with mystery and the possibility of threat. FLAPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is a lyrical, enigmatic portrait of a young woman at a crossroads, confronting a decision over her body and grappling with the confusing nature of love and lust. With the rain-drenched city of Hanoi as a backdrop (gorgeously shot by cinematographer Pham Quan Minh), the film broaches issues of class and gender disparity through the lens of Huyen’s struggle to survive and to assert her independence.